Area 53

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedMarch 20, 2025
• inspection score44 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedOctober 14, 2026 →
• address53 Bridge Street, Brooklyn 11201
• cuisineHotdogs/Pretzels
• phone7188589805

Is Area 53 clean?

Area 53 currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on March 20, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on October 14, 2026 scoring 44 points — but NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has not ruled on that visit, so no new grade has been issued. Inspectors wrote up 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads clean 😇; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Area 53?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Anti-siphonage or back-flow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly. Condensation or liquid waste improperly disposed of.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🐛pest / contamination issuecritical
  Properly scaled and calibrated thermometer or thermocouple not provided or not readily accessible in food preparation and hot/cold holding areas to measure temperatures of TCS foods during cooking, cooling, reheating, and holding.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
• ❓food from a mystery sourcecritical
  Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.
• ⚠️Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.

When was Area 53 last inspected?

Area 53 has 2 inspections on record going back to March 20, 2025, averaging 26 points.

Graded visits shown below · newest first · tap a date for the record

Area 53 vs DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill

DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill runs 82% clean across 422 tracked restaurants — 313 clean, 17 mid, 50 cooked.

Against the 422 spots Cooked tracks in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 67% of them.

Other spots in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill

• A The Maiz Project
  clean · April 30, 2025
• A Pret A Manger
  clean · September 24, 2025
• A Golfzon Social
  clean · September 22, 2026
• A Piccolo Cucina Casa
  clean · June 9, 2026
• ⏳ Jersey Mike's Sub #34102
  cooked · April 29, 2026
• A Pastrami Factory
  clean · April 28, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill →

How New York grades restaurants

New York City health inspectors score violations in points, and lower is better: 0–13 points earns an A, 14–27 a B, and 28 or more a C. Every restaurant is inspected at least once a year, and the letter has to be posted in the window. A restaurant that scores 14 or more on the first inspection of a cycle does not get a letter right away — it stays “Grade Pending” until a re-inspection settles it, which is why some spots here show an hourglass instead of a letter. Cooked only ever shows a letter the city actually posted; we never infer one from a score.

Read the New York ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) via NYC Open Data. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated October 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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